I’m Taking Friday Back (Plus 9 Ideas for a Fun Night In)

Throwback to when we used to hang out with friends on Friday nights!

Remember when we used to look forward to Friday night? Before all our days, evenings, and weekends started bleeding into each other, and every day felt like groundhog day. (If you haven’t noticed, I’m in a mood today). I’ve really been missing that excitement that comes with the end of the week, and that chill Friday feeling. So, I’ve decided that I’m taking Friday back!

Tonight we are going to try our hand at making pineapple jalapeno margaritas (daiquiris for the kids obviously), and then we are going to do a puzzle. I haven’t made a puzzle in years, and weirdly excited about it! We picked up the puzzle on our grocery trip last Monday, and I’ve been saving it for Friday. It sounds silly, but that little bit of anticipation is just the buzz my brain needed to start looking forward to Friday night! (My friend Johnny has this great theory about having things to look forward to, if you are interested).

Since margaritas and puzzles aren’t for everyone, I thought it would be fun to share some other ideas I shortlisted for Friday night, or general weekend fun. The most important part is to plan it, have a little build-up and anticipation, and then follow through!

Is it patio season yet?

9 Fun Ideas for a Night In

Heads up. I’ve kept this list really loose so you can easily adjust it to a date night in, or things to do with your family. Or, you might even plan something for just yourself. Use it for inspiration, and adjust it however suits your family best!

Cook an elaborate or fancy dinner.
I have always wanted to try my hand at making Julia Child’s Coq Au Vin or a shrimp free paella. One of these stay at home Fridays I’m going to make it happy. The trick to making it feel like Friday night is to play some nice music, pour a glass of wine, and create ambiance. It can’t feel like cooking on any other night of the week.

Take a YouTube dance lesson
Again, the key here is to pick your lesson ahead of time. I searched for salsa, ballroom dancing, hip-hop, and Bollywood dance, and there were hundreds of results. Clear your living room ahead of time, where the appropriate clothes, and bust out your moves!

Watch your wedding videos
This one is especially fun if you haven’t done this for years. We recently did this with our kids for the first time and it was a riot. I don’t know why we waited to so long.

Do a taste test
Pick up a sampler pack of beers from a local brewery, or get a variety of chocolates from the drugstore, or maybe a plate of cheese from the grocery store? Have everyone taste the different offerings and share their comments. Or do a blind taste test with jelly beans – guess the flavour is always fun!

Make Ice Cream
There is just something so fun about making ice cream. We have a machine, but there are so many no-churn recipes out there. Check out our ice cream board on Pinterest for inspiration.

Have a concert of your favourite songs
This is my favourite at home activity. Everyone takes turns playing a song they love, that’s it, simple. We did this with our kids last week and a spontaneous dance party erupted. Once I played this game with a friend on a weekend away and we learned so much about each other. Inevitably the person choosing a song ends up talking about it or telling a story, and it’s just a beautiful conversation starter.

Make a photobook together
Since we can’t go on any trips this summer, how about reliving a favourite one, and finally making that photo book. Grab your favourite cocktail and start uploading those pics! What a great way to reminisce and revisit a fun trip, and change the topic from all the COVID talk.

Host a video game championship
This has to be more elaborate than a normal night of video games. Plan what games you’ll play, and what the stakes are. How about all 4 players compete in a Mario Kart championship, and then the top 2 move onto a round of Wii basketball to determine the winner. (Yes, I take my video game championships quite seriously.)

Set up a painting night
You know how it goes from painting parties. Set out canvases and paint and let everyone go to town. You could even take things a step further and ask everyone to paint their canvases with the same colour paints so you can create an artwork grouping to hang on the wall later.

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